According to the Indian government’s latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for January-March 2020, published in December 2020, Kerala is one of the states with high unemployment rates of 40. 5%, while the national average was just 21%. Adding to this, the former Finance Minister of Kerala, Thomas Issac, at the Economic Review tabled in the Kerala Assembly on January 14, 2021, revealed that the unemployment rate among youth is around 36% in 2018-19. This is again more than double the national average rate of 17%. Even before pandemic strikes, Kerala is experiencing a high unemployment rate, which will surely be in the hype at the Corona Period.
Even though Kerala is celebrated for its gender-friendly nature, coming to the unemployment rate, it is not so. According to the surveys, women in the state have a larger unemployment rate compared to men. When 9.7 percent of males are unemployed in rural areas, the rate is 47.4 percent for females. The people of Kerala still prefer to keep women at the house. The unemployment of rural women in Kerala is at an alarming rate. This seriously affects the income stability of many families. When aimless youth and unemployed females add together, Kerala is under the shame of having the largest unemployment rate in the country.
Kerala faced enough protests and strikes from these angry youth last year, putting the state at a standstill for many days. But the government seemed undisturbed and is still sleeping without giving any proper answers to the question. Adding to this, the job scam allegations raised against the former minister of the government also contribute to the anger of this unemployed flock. Despite being a highly educated state and high wage rates, the youth of Kerala is under darkness about their life and career, and the whole system is keeping a dangerous silence over this.